Career Mentor Scheme
Mentor Guide
May 2015 – October 2015
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ Page 3
Career Mentor Scheme Overview ........................................................................................................... Page 4
Mentoring – Benefits, Theory and Methods ........................................................................................... Page 6
Scheme Structure ....................................................................................................................... …………Page 11
1. Getting to know your mentee ........................................................................................... Page 11
2. Meeting face to face and staying in touch with your mentee .......................................... Page 12
3. Setting objectives, Action Planning and Rewarding Success ………….………………………........Page 13
A. Setting Objectives…………………………………………………………………………………………….Page 13
B. Creating and Implementing and Action Plan…………………………………….………………Page 14
C. Mentoring Resources……………………………………………………………………………………….Page 15
D. Support and dealing with difficulties in the mentoring relationship………………...Page 15
E. At the end of the scheme………………………………………………………………………………...Page 16
F. Career Mentor Scheme contact details……………………….……………………………………Page 16
Appendix.. ............................................................................................................................................. Page 17
1. Top Tips – Enhancing Student Employability..................................................................... Page 17
2. Skills Development Activities ............................................................................................. Page 21
3. Learning styles: Approaches to Learning (VARK)……………………………………………………………Page 24
4. The difference between coaching and mentoring………………………………………………………...Page 25
2
Introduction
Thank you for joining us as a volunteer mentor on the Career Mentor Scheme to support a University of
Exeter student by providing one-to-one support, guidance and an insight into your career and industry.
The Career Mentor Scheme has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, starting in 2008
by matching 8 mentors with mentees, and by academic year 2014-15 the scheme will have matched over
400 mentors with mentees for the year. We now have a broad mix of mentors with professional
experience covering a range of different industries and located across the UK and internationally.
The time and energy you put into this scheme will be a fantastic help to improving the employability and
career prospects of students, giving them confidence and improving their skills to realise their true
potential. The impact that mentoring has on the employability of our students is key to improving their
confidence, commercial awareness and personal skills required to help secure a graduate level job.
One of the key indicators the University of Exeter uses to track the impact on employability is the
Graduate Destination outcomes (also known as DLHE), which is a survey that all UK universities carry out
to find out what graduates go on to do 6 months after graduation. Students who were part of this scheme
that graduated in 2012 achieved a destination score of 89.5%, which was 14.9% above the University
average for the year. Again in 2013 the destination score of student mentees was 86.6%, exceeding the
University average by 9.5%. The graduate destination outcomes reflect positively on the Career Mentor
Scheme, demonstrating that the support of a mentor significantly improves career prospects and helps
student mentees realise their true potential. With your help, our students will continue to go on to have
fantastic careers!
The purpose of this guide is to help you develop as a mentor and to provide you with tips and guidance to
help your mentee over the 6 months of this scheme. It covers mentoring theory (just a little!), approaches
and ideas, then takes you step-by-step through the scheme and includes a 6-month action plan to help
you make the most of your time on this scheme.
Thanks again for your support and enjoy the scheme!
Career Mentor Scheme Team
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Career Mentor Scheme Overview
About the Career Mentor Scheme
The Career Mentor Scheme is a large employability scheme at the University of Exeter which matches
undergraduate and postgraduate students across all colleges and campuses with experienced
professionals who volunteer provide one-to-one insight into their sector, careers support and guidance.
Our mentors are a mix of alumni and non-alumni, based in the UK or overseas and cover a range of sectors
and professions. Mentors volunteer to support a student mentee by providing invaluable insight and
advice into their career and sector via email, telephone, Skype or in person at least once per month for the
duration of the scheme.
Mentees are current students who apply to the scheme and are successfully matched with their chosen
mentor. Mentees are provided with training before being introduced to their mentors, as well as ongoing
support from staff and are expected to contact their mentor at least once per month for the duration of
the scheme.
At the end of each scheme all mentees and mentors are asked to complete a short online feedback form
which will help the University to continue to positively develop and grow the scheme. There will also be
scheme events held at the University during the scheme that all participants are welcome to attend.
Scheme Timeline
January 15
Closing date for mentor applications: 23rd January 2015.
Mentor opportunities are advertised to students from 26th January 2015.
March 15
Mentees are selected. Mentee training takes place
April 15
Mentor and mentee are introduced via email
May 15
Mentoring month 1
Meet your Mentor event Tuesday 26th May 2015 held at the Streatham campus (optional)
June 15
Mentoring month 2
July 15
Mentoring month 3
August 15
Mentoring month 4
September 15 Mentoring month 5
October 15
Mentoring month 6 - Partnerships contacted for feedback.
4
Scheme Objectives and Measuring Impact
Objectives for Mentors
By the end of the partnership we want our mentors to have achieved one or more of the following
objectives:
 Developed my professional and personal support skills
 Reflected upon my career achievements
 Volunteer work for my CV
 Gained an insight into current student life and University news
 Giving back to the University
 Made a friend / future professional contact in my mentee
Objectives for Mentees
By the end of the partnership we want our mentees to have achieved one or more of the following
objectives:
 Improved confidence to seek graduate level employment
 Improved personal skills needed for graduate level employment
 A sense that they are better prepared for their next steps - graduate level employment / further
study
 Gained professional experience for the CV
 Gained work experience / internship
 Made professional contacts from networking
 Made a future professional contact in their mentor
Objectives for stakeholders
The main Career Mentor Scheme stakeholders are the Mentors (employers), Mentees (students),
University of Exeter Employability and Graduate Development (EDG) and University of Exeter
Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO).
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Developing strong relationships with mentors and mentees to make a significant impact on
Exeter’s level of graduate employment.
Developing other graduate recruitment and careers activities.
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Career Mentoring – Benefits, Methods and Models
What is career mentoring?
Career mentoring is a long standing form of training, learning and development and an increasingly
popular tool for supporting personal development. Traditionally, mentoring provides support, guidance
and advice. In the workplace it has tended to describe a relationship in which an experienced colleague
uses their greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of
a more junior colleague. For the Career Mentor Scheme, it is about alumni and friends of the University
supporting students in their career development.
Career Mentoring is:
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A professional relationship
A partnership lasting over a pre-determined and fixed time-scale
Honest and supportive
One-to-one
Confidential (within appropriate boundaries)
Understanding and trusting
Encourages learning and development
Person centred
Expands the mentees horizons and thought processes and develops decision making skills.
Builds the mentees self-awareness, self-reliance, confidence and resilience
Career Mentoring isn’t:
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Direct sponsorship
Secretive
Always task focused
Doing the work on behalf of the mentee
Making decisions on behalf of the mentee
Therapy for personal issues
Protection from reality
A tutor/student relationship with the main focus on producing an academic outcome
A friend/friend relationship with the main focus on personal development outside of work
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Mentoring Benefits
Benefits of a mentoring partnership for mentees:
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Gaining a positive role model
Access to a source of careers guidance and perspective
A safe space to try out ideas
An opportunity for personal reflective space
An opportunity to be stretched and challenged
Access to networks and other learning sources
A way to take more responsibility for one’s own learning and training
Increased confidence and self-esteem to seek graduate level employment
Increased motivation and sense of achievement
A sense of personal growth and development
Enhancement of existing skills and an opportunity to acquire new ones needed for graduate level
employment.
A source of tips on how to make the transition to your first job easier
An awareness of the British job market/corporate culture in the UK
An awareness of how to apply for jobs and where to find them
An awareness of how to increase the chances of getting your dream job
An awareness of how to make new professional contacts
Help to prepare for the next steps - graduate level employment / further study
Professional experience for the CV
Gained work experience / internship
Professional contacts from networking
Made a friend / future professional contact in my mentor
Knowledge of the mentor’s your competencies and professional qualifications
Knowledge of a specific company, institution or line of business
Benefits of a mentoring partnership for mentors:
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Helps the mentor to develop support skills and practice coaching skills
Provides an opportunity to share knowledge and experience gained
Opportunity to help others
Encourages self-reflection and the challenge to develop specific skills
Increases motivation and sense of achievement
Refines interpersonal skills
Revitalises interest in work
Provides an enhanced status
Extends the mentor’s sphere of influence
Provides a close relationship with the mentee
Gives a sense of satisfaction at seeing someone else grow
Opportunity to take time out/reflect
Improves understanding of the different generations
Fulfils the mentor’s own developmental needs
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Mentoring Theory
Mentoring is used as a form of long-term tailored development for the individual. Key aspects of
mentoring (adapted from Alred, G., Garvey, B. and Smith, R. (1998) Mentoring pocketbook):
 Ongoing relationship that can last for a long time
 The focus is on career and personal development
 Can be informal and meetings can take place as and when the mentored individual needs guidance
and/or support (and when convenient to both parties); meetings can be either via email,
telephone, Skype or in meetings in person
 Long term and takes a broad view of the person being mentored (the mentee)
 Agenda is set by the mentored person with the mentor providing support and guidance to prepare
the mentee for future roles
Three stage model
Alred et al. (1998) identify a simple model of mentoring which operates on a three stage basis:
1. Exploration – to explore issues which are identified by the mentored individual
2. New understanding
3. Action planning
In each stage there are responsibilities for both the mentor and the mentee. The tables below focus on
the main strategies and methods required of the mentor.
Exploration
Strategies
Take the lead
Pay attention to relationship and develop it
Clarify the aims and objectives of mentoring
Support and counsel
Methods
Listen
Ask open questions
Negotiate an agenda
New understanding
Strategies
Support and counsel
Give constructive feedback
Coach and demonstrate skills
Methods
Listen and challenge
Ask open and closed questions
Recognise you own strengths and weaknesses
Establish priorities
Identify developmental needs
Give information and advice
Share experience and tell stories
Action planning
Strategies
Examine options for action and their consequences
Attend to the mentoring process and the relationship
Methods
Encourage new and creative way of thinking
Help to make decisions and solve problems
Negotiate an action plan
Agree action plans
Monitor progress and evaluate outcomes
Reference:
http://www.versa.uk.com/apprenticeship/mentor_handbook.pdf
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Mentoring Methods
Keys mentoring skills include:
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Encourage personal reflection
Give constructive feedback and advice
Motivate mentees to set achievable goals
Demonstrate effective questioning and active listening
Demonstrate empathy and alternative perspectives
Support, challenge, advise, empower, signpost and inform
1. Reflection
Reflection is important in a mentoring relationship as it allows your mentee to learn directly from their
personal experiences. It is a way of focusing thought, to understand, develop and apply your learning in
new situations.
Example prompts to encourage reflection:
 What was good or bad about the experience?
 Are there any ethical/ moral/ social issues that you want to explore?
 Is there something you need to do next?
 Is there something that you would do differently next time, given a similar situation?
2. Constructive Feedback
Constructive feedback is letting people know in a helpful way how they are doing, and how their
performance is being perceived. Constructive feedback can be positive (letting someone know they're
doing well), negative (letting people know about ways in which they could do better), or neutral (just an
objective observation or analysis).
Tips for providing constructive feedback:
 Encourage them to reflect first e.g. “How do feel about the way you dealt with…”
 Specific and constructive
 How to improve. Offer alternatives e.g. “you might like to try…”
 Personalise your comments e.g. “I liked the way you…”
 Balance negative with positive
 End on positive
3. Active Listening
Active listening is a communication technique used in counselling, training and conflict resolution, which
requires the listener to feed back what they hear to the speaker, by way of re-stating
or paraphrasing what they have heard in their own words, to confirm what they have heard and
moreover, to confirm the understanding of both parties.
Tips for practising active listening:
 Clear your mind of distractions
 Make eye contact
 Be aware of body language - pay attention to the mentees facial expressions, gestures etc.
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Use questioning techniques such as ‘how did that make you feel?’
Ask open ended questions
Paraphrasing – restating in your own words to check understanding
Ask questions if you don’t understand
Be non-judgmental
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Scheme Structure
1. Getting to know your mentee
You will be introduced to your student mentee via email shortly after they have attended a training
session in May 2015, and your mentee will be expected to take the lead to contacting you soon after.
The table below provides you with a number of suggestions to guide your discussions during this first
contact with your mentee to help you get to know each other and establish your mentoring
partnership. For more ideas, please visit the Resources for Mentors section on the Career Mentor
Scheme webpage.
Discussion Topics
About the Scheme:
• Aims (purpose of the scheme)
• Structure (negotiate/agreeing to student
objectives and 6-month action plan)
• Frequency and method of contact
• Location and duration of meetings
• Confidentiality (commercial and personal
and exceptions)
Student-led topics:
• Subject of study
• Interests
• Societies
• Career aspirations
• Previous work experience
• Achievements
Mentor-led topics:
• Education
• Career history
• Typical day
• Skills used
• Current employer
• Career goals
Potential topics for future discussion:
• Job hunting techniques and sources of
relevant vacancies
• CVs/covering letters/application forms
• Relevant reading (e.g. industry magazines)
• Professional bodies
• Networking groups/events
• Personal/professional boundaries
• Skills required for the workplace, and how to
begin developing these as a student.
• Sector requirements
• Work experience
• Disability & disclosure
• Typical work activities
• Good/bad aspects of profession
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Notes
2. Meeting face to face and staying in touch with your Mentee
We will be holding a ‘Meet your Mentor’ event at the Streatham campus on 26th May 2015, which all
mentors are welcome to attend (although attendance is not compulsory to the scheme); more details will
be circulated via email closer to the event. This is a brilliant opportunity to meet your mentee for the first
time and to network with other mentors.
Where possible please make every effort to meet your mentee in person at least once over the course of
the 6-month scheme (UK-based mentors). It is usually best to do this early on so you can get to know each
other before you start communicating regularly. We recommend that your meeting be held at your place
of work (to give some context to your role in the workplace), or if not, in a public place (such as a public
library) or at the University of Exeter. Please do not arrange to meet your mentee in a pub or consume any
alcohol before or during a meeting with your mentee
We will provide you and your mentee with each other’s mobile phone numbers, so that you can contact
each other at short notice, such as being delayed for a meeting.
We recommend that mentor and mentee stay in contact at least once per month for the duration of the
scheme. Contact can be via any of the following methods: email, telephone, Skype, or (where possible) in
person. Agree the duration each meeting in advance and try to stick to this where possible.
If you have to cancel an appointment (whether a face to face or phone/skype appointment) please do so
as soon as you are aware of the situation and give as much notice as possible if you are running late or
have to cancel unexpectedly. Where possible please let your mentee know in advance if you will be away
for a substantial period of time will be unable to answer emails or to take calls. You many find the
University Term Dates useful.
You should expect that your conversations with your mentee will remain confidential, for both what you
share with your mentee and what they share with you. This applies to any personal details and
experiences that you share with each other. In addition you need to remember the importance of
Commercial Confidentiality. It is possible that you will have access to sensitive information and documents
from you mentor’s company and work. You should not share this information with anyone else and should
act with discretion at all times. There may be some extreme situations in which confidentiality should be
broken. This would generally be in the case of one party having serious concerns that the other is a danger
to themselves or to others, or that there is a likelihood of a serious crime being committed
You and our mentee will agree an action plan at the beginning of the scheme. Your mentee is then
responsible for ensuring that they complete the actions agreed within the time frame set. There may be
times when they are not doing his and you need to challenge them to do so. If you agree to do something
for your mentee to help them achieve their objectives please try to ensure that you complete the action
as agreed so that both you and the mentee are able to make the most of the time you have together.
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3. Setting Objectives, Action Planning and Rewarding Success
A. Setting Objectives
All student mentees have been asked to identify a list of objectives that they wish to achieve by the
end of the six-month scheme. We have asked the students to complete their own six-month action
plan within the support guide provided to them (see part 3 below) and include the topics and
activities they would like to cover with you. The student scheme objectives are related to job hunting,
personal development and career/sector.
Once the students have selected their objectives and completed their action plan (similar to the one
below), we have asked them to share this with you so you can agree what can be achieved in the
scheme timeframe. At the end of the scheme, both you and your mentee will be asked to complete
an evaluation form which will allow us to see if their objectives have been achieved.
We have put together an extensive list of online Resources for Mentors, with tips and links to many
mentoring support materials, to help you help your mentee to achieve their scheme objectives.
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B. Creating and Implementing an Action Plan
Your mentee has been asked to complete a six-month action plan (similar to the one below) which
helps them to achieve their scheme objectives and benefit as much as possible from your help. We
have asked the student to share their objectives and action plan with you so you can agree what you
think can be achieved in the scheme timeframe.
Below is a copy of the action plan, which could help you plan and take notes on your mentoring year.
There are some prefilled fields which highlight the structure of the mentoring year.
Month
Objective
Actions
You will be introduced to your
mentee.
Establishing your
mentoring
relationship.
May 2015
Your mentee should discuss with
their objectives and 6-month
action plan with you so you can
negotiate, if necessary and agree
they can be achieved in the
timeframe.
Negotiating and
agreeing mentee set
objectives and action
plan.
You will be invited to a ‘Meet
your Mentor’ event held at the
University Streatham campus
(attendance is not compulsory
to the scheme).
Review Partnership.
The University will contact you
to ask for a progress update.
June 2015
July 2015
August 2015
September 2015
October 2015
Complete online evaluation form
Evaluate partnership. sent by the university
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Notes
C. Mentoring Resources
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See Appendix within this guide ‘Top tips – Enhancing student employability’ for more mentoring
topics and ideas.
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Support resources for Mentors: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/employmentservices/develop/mentor/resources/
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Mentor FAQs: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/employment-services/develop/mentor/faqs/
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Resources for Students: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/mentor/resources/
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Student FAQs: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/research/mentor/faqs/
D. Support and dealing with difficulties in the mentoring relationship
All mentees are provided with training before the start of the scheme on what is expected of them and
how to make the most of your support.
However, if the case arises that you feel unhappy with the behaviour of your mentee we advise you take
the following steps:
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Access support on the Career Mentor Scheme webpage, see Mentor Frequently Asked Questions.
If appropriate speak to the mentee about your concerns, remember they may not be aware their
behaviour is unsuitable, as this is a new experience for them.
If for any reason you feel you cannot approach the mentee directly, please contact the scheme
staff at careermentorscheme@exeter.ac.uk.
Similarly, if you feel that the student is experiencing any serious personal problems, the University
has a number of agencies concerned with personal welfare that we can refer students to. There is
a website dedicated to providing support to students, with details of these agencies. You may
refer them to this website (https://sid.exeter.ac.uk/aspx_shared/login.aspx) but please do get in
touch with us if there are any serious problems.
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E. At the end of the scheme
You will be asked for informal feedback mid-way during the six-month scheme and to complete a final
evaluation form at the end of the scheme, which helps us to improve the scheme for the future by
tracking the impacts and objectives met, and well as to find out what needs to be improved.
You are welcome to send updates and feedback along the way to the scheme staff at:
careermentorscheme@exeter.ac.uk or call 01392 722034.
F. Career Mentor Scheme Contact Details
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Email: careermentorscheme@exeter.ac.uk
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Telephone: 01392 722034
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Address: University of Exeter Career Mentor Scheme, Employment Services, University of Exeter
Forum, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4SZ
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Sarah Hood, Career Mentor Scheme Coordinator, Telephone: 01392 722034
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Jo McCreedie, Employer Liaison Officer (Manager of Internships and Mentoring)
J.McCreedie@exeter.ac.uk, Telephone 01392 722617
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Appendix
Top tips – Enhancing student employability
Topics
Four topics will be explored:
1. Commercial Awareness
2. Networking
3. Communication Skills
4. Career Management
Why these topics?
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We want our students to be employable
Employers are looking for these skills
1. Commercial Awareness
Being commercially aware involves having a deep understanding of the internal and external
environment in which a company operates.
It can help people:
• make better decisions
• generate more ideas
• solve problems more effectively
• to lead a team with greater insight
• make successful contributions to an organisation’s strategic aims
Top tips for Commercial Awareness
1. Ask mentees to keen their eye on similar industries as yours
• Highlights key influences and challenges that might affect your organisation/sector
• Ask them to read about your industry using the following sources: Trade press, professional
bodies, conferences and exhibitions, the internet and social media
2. Encourage mentees to keep up to date with changes in society
• This can help highlight the future trends in society that might affect your organisation/sector
• Ask your mentee to look at relevant published information by think tanks and polling
organisations, which can provide information on demographic composition and current opinions
on possible future trends
3. Encourage mentees maintain their awareness of the economic environment
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By enhancing your mentee’s awareness of current economic conditions (if they are not fully clued
up already) and expected changes to the economy, you will help enable them to anticipate any
potential impact upon your organisation and the sector they are interested in
You can point them to relevant sources of information: Financial press, television, newspaper
business and finance sections
4. Ask your mentee how they think your organisation is perceived
• By asking how your mentee (and perhaps their friends) perceive your organisation can help
identify some of the challenges it faces from a fresh perspective
• You could provide your mentee with relevant sources of information about your organisation, or
ask them to track it through relevant media and industry coverage
2. Networking
Networking is a great way for mentees to make potential future professional contacts, meet
potential future employers, share and gain knowledge, ideas and expertise to help them build a
professional profile.
Top tips for Networking
1. Supporting your mentee before a networking event
• Ask them to identify their purpose before the event - do they want to develop their career, meet
new clients/collaborators, and broaden their horizons?
• Encourage them to be proactive – ask them to set a stretching, but achievable target to remain
proactive (e.g. ‘I will attend two networking events next month’)
• Encourage them to join a professional networking site - Online networking sites such as LinkedIn
can add a lot of value to their networking strategy
2. Supporting your mentee at/before a networking event
• Help your mentee to practice the perfect introduction – perform introduction role play/encourage
them to think about what to include in their introduction (including their name, subject of study,
past work experience, why they are at the event)
• Encourage them to ask engaging questions - Depending on your mentee’s reason for networking
and the purpose of an event, you may wish to practice/ask them to think about the sorts of
questions they could ask someone to enhance the conversation. For example: What’s your
connection to the event? What brings you here? What keeps you busy when you’re not at work or
events like these?
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3. Communication Skills
Communication is an essential part of everyday life and present throughout business activities,
including coaching, negotiating, influencing, making presentations and giving feedback.
Top tips for Communication Skills
1. Encouraging effective listening
 Encouraging your mentee to develop active listening is important for interviews as it shows the
speaker their message is being both received and fully understood
 Ask your mentee to think about:
 Decoding the language they hear, as well as the language they see, i.e. body language
 Being on the alert for any hidden messages, or a gap between what is said and what is
genuinely felt by the speaker
 Ask questions to clarify points they do not understand, and checking to see that they
have received the message correctly
2. Developing interpersonal skills in your mentee
 Practice communicating key messages - in a role play interview/presentation, ask your mentee
to consider the following:
 Being clear on their key message
 Think about what their audience wants to hear
 Understand what impact their message will have
 Think about what questions could arise
 Practice their non-verbal communication – in a role play interview/presentation, ask your
mentee to think about the impact of their body language including: Posture, hand gestures and
expression.
4. Career Management Skills
These are the methods used to get a job (CV, cover letter, application form, and interview) and the
essential skills needed to manage your career.
Top tips for Career Management Skills
1. Helping your mentee prepare for interviews
 Ask your mentee to think about how they would answer interview questions (e.g. practice STAR
approach activity)
 Suggest the following points to help them throughout an interview situation:
 Preparation - familiarise yourself with: the job description, prepare answers to standard
interview questions and think about the areas they are likely to question you about
 On the day - turn up at least 10 minutes early so you have time to compose yourself
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During the interview – listen carefully to the questions, speak clearly and don’t use
jargon, be aware of your body language, don’t dwell on the negatives, ask them
questions
2. CV – tips and proofreading - what to look for
 There are certain details that should be on a CV:
 Personal details
 Work history
 Education and qualifications
 Skills
 Hobbies/interests
 Tips for writing a CV
 Tailor the content
 Don’t overcomplicate
 Market yourself
 Be relevant
 Make sure the writing is easy to read, clear and engaging
 Think about the layout
 References
3. Application forms – tips and proofreading - what to look for
 If possible, ask your mentee to complete a test job application form to your organisation
 Encourage them to identify skills from all aspects of life – work experience, voluntary work,
hobbies, involvement in clubs /societies, coursework
 Talking up skills – e.g. “Researching dissertations which involved rapidly researching and
assessing the currency and reliability of unfamiliar material using sources such as electronic
databases, books and interviews”
 Do the essential background research
 Match skills, qualifications and personal qualities to the job description and person
specification
 Use company website (products/services, brochure/annual report)
 Attend careers fairs / employer presentations
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Skills Development Activities
1. Commercial Awareness – The PESTLE analysis
PESTLE analysis (Political factors, Economic influences, Sociological trends, Technological innovations,
Legal implications, Environmental factors) is a strategic tool that helps organisations to explore/anticipate
external influences on their organisation or department from several perspectives. It can be used to
review a strategy or position, the direction of the organisation/area of responsibility, a marketing
proposition, or future business and product development initiatives. A thorough PESTLE analysis should
comprise the following stages:






Identification – What external factors have a potential impact on your organisation/area of
responsibility?
Verification – Which factors are more likely to have a real impact on your organisation/area of
responsibility? Have you missed anything?
Observation – Which of these factors are having the most significant impact right now?
Projection – Which of these factors are likely to increase/decrease in importance over the next
few years? What other factors might arise that you have not yet considered?
Planning – What actions can be undertaken as a response to these factors, both current and
potential future ones?
Implementation – Undertake action to counter the adverse effects of the appropriate/relevant
factors.
Ask your mentee to conduct a PESTLE analysis of your organisation (or choose a different well-known
organisation) which will allow them to develop their commercial awareness skills. You may need to help
your mentee by providing information/resources if necessary. Finish by talking through their answers to
explore their analysis.
2. Networking - Analysing your network
This exercise demonstrates a simple technique designed to help you understand your network more
precisely and learn how to shape it more fully to advantage your career. We would ask that you encourage
your mentee to use their LinkedIn account to analyse their network and the network of their connections
to assess which contacts are potentially of interest. Encourage them to use a personalised invite and not
to just connect with no message, it makes a difference. Suggest contacts within your network that may be
useful to your mentee's career aspirations.
To help you identify potential contacts, consider:
 Sources of power (e.g. those with decision-making accountability, knowledge and contacts)
 Sources of expertise
 Potential advocates (e.g. key players that the majority hold in high regard)
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Go down the list and mark the role your contacts are likely to play in your mentee's career management
(for example they might be a source of information, know of job vacancies, or have numerous useful
contacts). Note how close the contact is to you in another column (1 signifying an immediate contact, and
3 a more distant contact).
Name
Role
How Close (1-3)
Where next?
3. Communication Skills - Are you a good listener?
This questionnaire is a personal inventory of listening skills which will help your mentee identify their
listening strengths and weaknesses.
Ask your mentee the below questions and respond by simply answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’, as appropriate.
Add up the 'yes' answers and 'no' answers. When you have finished, review the answers, particularly those
statements where they answered 'no'. These identify any areas where they have had consistent feedback
that they may need to improve their listening skills. Based on the information from the questionnaire, ask
your mentee to develop an action plan for addressing areas needing improvement.
1. When you are listening to someone, do you try to separate out the verbal and non-verbal
messages?
2. Do you look for what the speaker is not saying or for any hidden agendas?
3. Do you ask questions to clarify anything you do not understand or to check that you have received
the message correctly?
4. Do you reflect your understanding back to the speaker with both verbal and non-verbal actions?
5. Where you agree with the speaker, do you try to make that support known?
6. Do you give any speaker your full attention for the duration of his/her speech, even when you are
not especially interested?
7. Do you try to keep an open mind and try to push to the back of your mind any opinions you might
already have on the subject?
8. Do you take notes to assist recall?
9. Do you reflect the speaker’s body language?
10. Do you wait until the speaker has finished before reflecting on the subject matter or formulating
questions?
11. Do you look at the speaker and try to make eye contact?
12. Do you encourage the speaker, for example by saying “Go on …” or “Tell me more”?
13. Do you try to develop empathy with the speaker?
14. Do you avoid filling silence if the person with whom you are speaking does not immediately
answer a question?
15. Do you reflect feelings back to the speaker?
16. Do you avoid saying: “I know how you feel”, even in situations where you have gone through a
similar experience?
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17. Do you focus your attention on the individual with whom you are communicating, rather than on
yourself?
18. Do you try to avoid any signs of restlessness, such as crossing and uncrossing your legs, looking at
your watch, gazing out of a window or yawning?
19. When you are reflecting on a long conversation, a speech, a presentation or a meeting, can you
generally remember most of what was said?
20. Do you find that colleagues and friends like to talk things through with you or use you as a
sounding board?
4. Career Management Skills - The STAR approach
Students are encouraged to consider the STAR approach when answering questions in an interview or on
an application form.
The STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action and Result) can be used to answer situational questions on an
application form or in a job interview e.g. “Describe a time when you…..” or “Give an example of…..”
It’s a bit like a mini essay. The Situation and the Task are usually combined and form the introduction. The
Action you took, should form the main body of your answer, and the Result should be your conclusion –
try to be as specific as possible e.g. “we raised £400 for charity”. If you failed to achieve your objective say
what you learned and what you would do differently next time.
Here is an example:
STAR
EXAMPLE ANSWERS
Situation
How, when, where, with whom?
Whilst employed at Weaver Bros. Last summer
Task
Describe the situation or the task you were faced
with
Action
What action did you take?
I was given the task of rationalising the stock
control system
Result
What results did you achieve / conclusions did
you reach / what did you learn from the
experience?
My ideas were accepted and implemented and a
15% reduction in stock levels was achieved”
I would look at factors such as when the stock
was last ordered, what it was used for and how
often it was used. I worked out a method of
streamlining the paperwork involved in this
process and redesigned the relevant forms, which
I then submitted to my manager.
Try and use examples to answer these types of questions from a range of situations, not just from
academia e.g. vacation or part-time work, university clubs and societies, voluntary work, holidays and
travel, personal and family experiences, etc.
The focus of these examples should be on you – even if the situation involved a group, and interviewers
will want to know what your specific role was in achieving the desired result.
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Learning styles: Approaches to Learning - (VARK)
It is important to remember that everyone prefers to learn in different ways. It can be useful to identify
the way that you learn best and that your mentee learns and to try and take this into account when you
are working together.
Test your learning style here: http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/
V: Visual people with a strong visual preference for learning like:
Different formats, space, graphs, charts, diagrams, maps and plans
A: Aural people with a strong aural preference for learning like:
Discussions, stories, guest speakers, chat
R: Read-write people with a strong read/write preference for learning like:
Lists, notes and text in all its formats and whether in print or online
K: Kinesthetic people with a strong kinaesthetic preference for learning like:
Senses, practical exercises, examples, cases, trial & error
Copyright Version 7.1 (2011) is held by Neil D. Fleming, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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The difference between Mentoring and Coaching
A coach is someone who plans an intervention “designed to improve the performance of an individual in a
specific task”. (Clutterbuck and Sweeny, 1997)
Some people do not distinguish between coaching and mentoring, although Clutterbuck and Sweeney
(1997) consider such a distinction important as highlighted in the table below.
Table from Clutterbuck and Sweeney (1997)
Coaching
Focus on task
Usually short term
Explicit feedback
Develops skills
Driven by coach
Shows where you went wrong
Mentoring
Focus on progress
Usually long term – sometimes for life
Intuitive feedback
Develops capabilities
Driven by mentee/learner
Helps you to work it out yourself
Mentoring requires the mentor to know which of several styles to use at any particular time. A mentor
may be more or less directive in response to the needs of the mentee. A mentor may also pay more or
less attention to the emotional needs of the mentee. These different focuses are represented in Figure 1
below.
Figure 1: Styles of mentoring of Clutterbuck and Sweeney (1997)
DIRECTIVE
FACILITATING
COACHING
INTELLECTUAL
NEED
EMOTIONAL
NEED
MENTORING
COUNSELLING
NETWORKING
NON-DIRECTIVE
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